Revolution (1985)

New York trapper Tom Dobb becomes an unwilling participant in the American Revolution after his son Ned is drafted into the Army by the villainous Sergeant Major Peasy. Tom attempts to find... See full summary »

Director:

Hugh Hudson

Writer:

Robert Dillon

Stars:

Al Pacino, Donald Sutherland, Nastassja Kinski

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Al Pacino	...	Tom Dobb
Donald Sutherland	...	Sgt. Maj. Peasy
Nastassja Kinski	...	Daisy McConnahay
Joan Plowright	...	Mrs. McConnahay
Dave King	...	Mr. McConnahay
Steven Berkoff	...	Sgt. Jones
John Wells	...	Corty
Annie Lennox	...	Liberty Woman
Dexter Fletcher	...	Ned Dobb
Sid Owen	...	Young Ned
Richard O'Brien	...	Lord Hampton
Paul Brooke	...	Lord Darling
Eric Milota	...	Merle
Felicity Dean	...	Betsy
Jo Anna Lee	...	Amy

Storyline

New York trapper Tom Dobb becomes an unwilling participant in the American Revolution after his son Ned is drafted into the Army by the villainous Sergeant Major Peasy. Tom attempts to find his son, and eventually becomes convinced that he must take a stand and fight for the freedom of the Colonies, alongside the aristocratic rebel Daisy McConnahay. As Tom undergoes his change of heart, the events of the war unfold in large-scale grandeur.

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Plot Keywords:

american revolution | flogging | bayonet | american indian | 1770s | 

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Taglines:

A Nation Forged In Blood

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for war violence and related images

Details

Country:

UK Norway

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Revolution 1776

Filming Locations:

Norway

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$184,570 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Goldcrest Films International, Viking Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min 111 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was on its release the biggest and most expensive box-office disaster in British film history and was almost single-handedly responsible for a decade-long financial crisis in the industry after the massive losses scared off city financing for British films for years to come.

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Goofs

In battle, Sgt. Maj. Peasy is depicted giving march and fire orders; in reality, it would be the job of an actual officer, and not an NCO.

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Quotes

Lord Hampton: Daisy McConnahay! You traitorous bitch!

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Connections

Referenced in A Personal History of British Cinema by Stephen Frears (1997)

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Soundtracks

"Drummer Boy Lament"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Lyrics by Alfred Shaughnessy
Arranged by Harry Rabinowitz

User Reviews

Don't let the low rating frighten you - it's a beautiful movie.

I've just seen "Revolution" on TV and I have to say that it's a much better movie than one may think. Sometimes a movie is worth-seeing only because of its wonderful production values. And "Revolution" is an eye-popping visual feat: wonderful cinematography, first-rate period details. I might say that beside Stanley Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon" and Tony Richardson's "Tom Jones", this is the most beautifully made period movie about the eighteenth century. "Revolution" is also an important film because there are only about a dozen films on the Revolutionary War and almost all of them are a matter of obscurity - at least for a Hungarian movie lover. The most popular is Roland Emmerich's "The Patriot" (2000). In my opinion that's a much worse film than Hudson's maligned film. When "Revolution" was released it was a critical and commercial disaster. I think it didn't fit in any of the movie trends of the 1980s. But in the future it might be regarded as a flawed but valuable movie. Its flaws are obvious and much-discussed so I don't want to speak about them. If you're interested in beautiful period pieces and the Revolutionary War you might like this movie.